North American Meat Institute Launches Online Petition to Inject Common Sense Into Dietary Guidelines

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In response to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s recent, anemic recommendations to eat lower amounts of red and processed meats we say, unequivocally and without hesitation, ‘Hands off my hot dog!’

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB)March 12, 2015

The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) today launched a Change.org petition urging the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services to inject common sense into the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

“Hot dog, sausage, bacon and salami lovers throughout the land stand together as Americans in favor of a balanced diet that includes meat and poultry of all kinds. We stand together as people who value personal choice and reject taxes on foods that elite academics deem unhealthy. We assert ourselves as intelligent, free thinking people capable of making decisions that are best for our families’ nutrition needs, traditions and personal budgets,” the petition says. “In response to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s recent, anemic recommendations to eat lower amounts of red and processed meats we say, unequivocally and without hesitation, ‘Hands off my hot dog!’”

The Dietary Guidelines Committee report has been controversial since its release last month, when the committee overstepped its nutrition charge and made dietary recommendations that it believes will help the environment. In addition, while the committee reviewed data that showed that the protein category is the only food group consumed at recommended levels, it recommended that Americans eat less red and processed meat. This conflicts with studies showing that meat’s nutrient density helps deliver a unique nutrition bundle, control appetite, aid in weight control and that the B12 in meat helps promote brain development and brain health.

According the Meat Institute President and CEO Barry Carpenter, “We hope our petition will give a voice to the 95 percent of Americans who make meat and poultry part of a balanced diet and who want to ensure that no restrictions or taxes are placed upon their dietary choices. While the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee may think consumers aren’t capable of making common sense nutrition decisions and must be taxed and restricted, we believe Americans are intelligent people and we want their voices to be heard.”